This week, Petersburg High School’s theater program presents Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The play centers on two romantic pairings, the duality of their love stories, along with some highly entertaining comedic moments.
Drama students prepared all year for this show, including back-to-back rehearsals in the days before opening night.
On stage in the school auditorium, several students skipped around, dancing arm-in-arm in costume. They sped through Shakespearean lines at a dizzying pace to figure out how fast they’d need to talk.
They practiced the dance number over and over, never complaining — just giggling at their breathlessness.
The static set takes place in a courtyard in 16th century Sicily. There are plywood props and marble columns made from sauna tubes that the students painted.
Elsa Wintersteen is the high school drama teacher and play director. She said the students put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
“A lot of these kids, this is their first time actually taking Shakespeare to the stage and out of the classroom. So it’s a huge jump for them and for me,” said Wintersteen. “I’m so proud of my students. Every day I walk into this theater, I’m constantly amazed by what kids [their] age can do and … how they internalize some of this Shakespeare … they really inspire me.”
She explained this play has a few different plots, typical for Shakespeare’s work: The “A plot” involving the two couples and their romantic escapades, the “B plot” of the villain scheming for revenge, and the comedic “C plot” involving watchmen and deputies — commonfolk who ultimately end up being key to the story.
One of the characters reckoning with her romantic life is played by PHS junior Remi Tolkachova, in the role of Beatrice.
“She’s a very strong, independent and witty character,” Tolkachova said. “She’s not afraid to, like, stand up for herself … She doesn’t really care what anyone thinks — or at least that’s what she’s putting on for everyone to see. But she does have a softer side to her that she’s trying to mask with her … strong persona. Because she is emotional, and there is a part of her that wants to be, you know, appreciated and loved.”
Tolkachova said she’s learned a lot from performing Shakespeare.
“I was one of those people that would stray away from Shakespeare’s works because I would have to, like, sit there and dissect everything,” she confessed. “But you have to understand that a lot of Shakespeare’s works … were meant to be seen and experienced by actors on stage. So you can really, you know, feel the characters from the actors’ perspectives, and the dynamics, and the scenery and everything … you can get five-billion more times out of it if you see it performed on stage.”
When asked to describe the play in one word, she called it, “Epic!”
“Come to the show,” Tolkachova said, “we’ll be waiting.”
PHS sophomore Waylon Jones plays the story’s villain, and agent of chaos, Don John. “Crazy,” was his one-word description.
Jones said the audience can expect, “a lot of lies, some comedy —if you can understand it, because Shakespeare— a few different mini plot lines and a lot of fun character relationships.”
“It was kind of a lot of, like, just mental [preparation],” Jones said of taking on the role of a villain. “Thinking, what would the character do? What would the character think about different things? What would the character do with their free time? But I mean, once you’re in costume, it kind of just comes naturally.”
Jones had just gotten his costume for Don John: a white dress shirt, sleeveless vest, cape, rosary, “villainous black gloves” and a large hat with a peacock feather on top.
“Our costume designer did a really good job,” he said, clapping the leather gloves.
The play’s costume designer is PHS senior Sam Olson.
Inbound for opening night, Jones said it’s “definitely a little anxiety inducing … but … we’ve put in all the work, so I think we’re going to be able to show it.”
“Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed in Petersburg’s Wright Auditorium March 27–29. Ticket sale proceeds support future theater productions and a 2026 trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for Fringe Festival.
